Istanbul Convention. Armenian government applying to Venice Commission

There is no shortage of provisions, concerns, and responses to the provisions of the Istanbul Convention these days. Some criticize the document, others voice the need for ratification the day before.

The official website of the Council of Europe recently reported that the Armenian authorities have applied to the Venice Commission for an advisory opinion on the consequences of ratifying the Convention.

Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan later wrote on his Facebook page: Given the concerns raised by the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of and Fight against Violence against Domestic Violence and Domestic Violence, we have today applied to the Venice Commission to obtain the Commission’s official opinion on the impact of ratification of the Convention on the constitution of the Republic of Armenia. The Ministry of Justice will publish it after receiving the opinion of the Commission. ”

Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan later wrote on his Facebook page: Given the concerns raised by The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence , we have today applied to the Venice Commission to obtain the Commission’s official opinion on the impact of ratification of the Convention on the constitution of the Republic of Armenia. The Ministry of Justice will publish it after receiving the opinion of the Commission. ”

Before the response is sent to the Armenian side and published, the Council of Europe has prepared an e-book, including the Armenian language, with a number of questions and answers on the most controversial provisions of the Convention.

As the ratification of the Convention on Domestic Violence in Armenia is increasingly discussed, we would like to present what the Istanbul Convention stands for and what is misinformed about it,” the CoE Central Office press office said, expressing hope that the information in the brochure will be useful for understanding and communicating to readers what the Convention is all about.

It should be noted that out of the 47 members of the Council of Europe, Russia and Azerbaijan have not signed the Convention. The Convention has not been ratified by Armenia, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Moldova, Slovakia, Ukraine.

The last country to sign is Armenia, which signed the Convention in January 2018. About a month ago, the government approved the document with reservations.

Is it possible to ratify the Convention with reservations? In response to WomenNet.am, the Ministry of Justice responded that the Convention can be ratified with reservations, but limited articles are allowed to be reserved.